For Larry Bird, returning to Boston for the Finals is a very special experience.
This city, to which Bird devoted his life's blood and entire sporting youth, has both changed and remained steadfast after so many years.
The changes are obvious; the Boston Garden has become a thing of the past, demolished by explosives in 1998, with this historic and memory-filled arena disappearing from Boston's map.
The disappearance of the Garden Arena means that a part of Boston Celtics history and Larry Bird's life is completely gone, never to return.
Every time the Trail Blazers come to Boston for a game, the fact that the game is at the Fleet Center makes Larry Bird feel a bit uninterested; compared to Boston Garden, while it's newer and prettier, it undoubtedly seems too dull.
Of course, in the eyes of young fans, the Fleet Center and the Boston Celtics are now more popular and more interesting.
